The Walking Dead: Unity
by Ficfiz
Summary: This story follows six POV characters, all part of the same group, and all of which are trying to survive. Harmony, a 16 year olf girl, struggles to get over the death of her younger sister and begins to develop a bond with another small soul; Polly, an older woman who worries for her husband; Jacob, a high school friend of Harmony, along with several others. Takes place in Florida


_Episode One of The Walking Dead: Unity (Home Sweet Home). This chapter is probably on the shorter side when compared to the rest of the story, and serves as more of a prologue if anything. Enjoy! The main character's name will be revealed in Episode 2: Redemption, by the way. (It's a female) _

"My momma was never the strongest soul. She never had what it took to look someone in the eye and give them a firm "no". When our beloved cat, Walters, died this past year, she cried for at least two weeks afterwards. When daddy died, it was much worse. Maybe thats why she snapped so easily. I don't know. I just know she lost it...she lost it!

Sure, there were times when she seemed pretty normal. She loved to cook - it was her one true escape from this world. When she wasn't huddled over the stove, I usually found her in bed, snuggling with my sister or burying her face in the blankets so I couldn't see her tears. She loved her children, to the ends of the Earth. She didn't have what it took to let them go…

I came home from school one afternoon after the local district issued a domestic quarantine over the county, as I'm sure you're aware, although they provided no explanation. My boyfriend, Peter, was sick that day so I walked home alone after missing the bus. I'll never forget how quiet it was - like the grace period peace before a storm. It was humid, too.

I lived in a modest house; three bedrooms, two floors, one bathroom, a nice little patio and deck. I pushed open the front door, finding it unlocked, and kicked off my weather-torn sneakers, careful not to trapse mud throughout the house.

I called for her, for my mother, to no reply. I should have called for Chloe, but I didn't. I should have called her name. I should have looked for her."

"Chloe. Was that your sister?" his voice is a quiet murmur, as if he feels my pain. He doesn't.

"Yes. She _was_ my sister. Anyways, as I was about to go upstairs, I heard an answer, though her voice was soft and choked. When I found her in the kitchen, she was leaning over something. I craned my neck to see, but I couldn't.

"Momma? Momma you alright?"

I waited another few moments for a reply.

"Fine, sweetie". Her voice was hushed, and weak. Something was wrong. I should have ran, then and there, should have screamed, should have stopped her. But I didn't.

"Did you see the news? Did they tell you what was goin' on?

"No"

"Good. Now it's past your bedtime, you should get some rest".

Upon uttering those last words, her voice was so shaky, I expected her to start sobbing again. Instead, she grabbed me, tears streaming down her face, her hair a disheveled mess. Her hand went to my mouth - she was forcing something into my mouth. I couldn't tell what, but I struggled anyway. I tried to yank her arm away, but she had me on the ground. She started to sob - a violent, shaking sob. She kept repeating "im sorry" over and over. She had her hand clasped over my mouth so I couldn't speak, couldn't make a sound. A grabbed for something, anything, but found only the hard wooden floor tiles. I felt the pill slide into my throat.

I gagged, tried to force it back up, to no avail. My eyes, then and there, must have reflected pure terror. I was terrified, I was confused, I was losing consciousness.

Momma was trying to kill me!

My eyelids felt heavy. The second pill went down easier. I didn't resist, I couldn't resist. By the third swallow, all I could see was my mother's face. She was scared too...her eyes were red and swollen, her lip trembling. I looked directly into those eyes for the last time before everything went black as night."

"When I woke up, I was in bed. It was still dark outside, and my bedroom was pitch black. I could feel the warmth of another body laying next to me. I turned over, shifting underneath the covers, finding that it was Chloe, my younger sister. She looked so innocent, the faintest ray of moonlight illuminating her face… but her skin...her skin was so cold. She was always such a sound sleeper. After daddy died, though…

I should have known. I should have known. _No one sleeps that easily. Not anymore. _

My head felt as if someone had struck a hammer to my skull - the slightest movement caused me to gasp in pain. It was only after my vision began to steady did I notice the dark silhouette of something, dormant at the end of the bed. I tried to make out its identity, squinting and rubbing my eyes. An arm...a foot…

That's when I lost it. Now I was the one sobbing, shaking, screaming for help, though none would come. I shook Chloe, wanting desperately to wake her up, to cradle her in my arms, but she remained limp. When I opened her eyelids, her pupils were staring blankly at the ceiling. Lifeless.

I yelled her name I don't know how many times, tried to revive her, breathe air into her lungs, but nothing worked. She was gone. My mother hung from the ceiling fan, a rope tied around her neck. Her bare feet dangled a foot above the ground. I knew it was too late for her as well.

Every ounce of me wanted to be angry at her, to curse her, but she was dead so it was no use. I tripped over the nightgown my mother had dressed me in, trying to get to the door. It was locked. I couldn't look at the bodies, so I faced towards the wall, and curled up in a fetal position and cried. I think I fell asleep.

When I woke up again, my mother and sister were alive. Chloe tried to grab me, I thought she was trying to hug me. But it wasn't her...it was..something else, I don't know. Somehow I managed to kick open the door and lock them inside. I could hear her calling my name, scratching at the door. But her voice was so different…

I wanted to open that door so bad. I wanted to let her out. I didn't.

I changed clothes, grabbed some valuables and shoved them into a backpack, and left. I left, and I never turned back. I left my mother and sister, my life, and a good majority of my things behind in that house. The sun was almost blinding when I set foot outside, and the street was filled with people. Only, they were like my mom and sister. They were dead...but walking.

I was so scared...but I kept going. My momma's car was still working, so hid inside there for a few hours. It took a while for me to work up the courage to put the key in the ignition and drive off, what with those things banging on my windows. But I drove, ran a bunch of them into the ground. When I got to Dixon, the road was full of dead people and stationary vehicles, so I was forced to continue on foot. I hid in a local grocery store for about a day, and cried some more. I had to leave when the manager shot himself point blank in the face, spraying me with blood and brains. I couldn't bring myself to kill him when he started walking again. I took the gun and left.

Funny thing, those walkers don't seem to notice you when you're covered in gore. They pretty much ignored me, so I continued towards the town square, hoping to find someone else, anyone else, that wasn't so terrifying. That was very much alive. That's when I found you"

I finish telling them everything, looking around at their quizzical faces. A majority of them look sympathetic, though they are hidden by the shadows, and I can't get a good look at them. What follows is a long and drawn out silence.

"I've answered all your questions. I've told you who I am. Will you please let me in?" I ask the man, a sense of desperation in my voice. I hold back the tears, but a few of them manage to escape.

"I'm scared" I hear myself proclaiming. "Please…"

"I'm sorry" he replies, resting a hand on my shoulder. My heart is pulsing in my chest. My head continues to throb, my vision is starting to blur again. "you've been through a lot." He guides me forward with his hand. "I'm Floyd. Welcome to the group".


End file.
